Heat exchange apparatus



1936' J. A. POTTER ET AL HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS Original Filed April1'7, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 0 JOHN H. Pow-ram WITNESSES:

BY Jorm P. RnTHsu/v. LL I M ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1936., J. A. POTTER ET AL1 L HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS A Original Filed April 17, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOHN H. POTTER, 8:

-YJOHN P. RHTHBUN.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATEXCHANGE APPARATUS Application April 17, 1933, Serial No. 666,582

Renewed May 17, 1934 6 Claims. (Cl. 261114) Our invention relates tocondensers of the type wherein condensation is efiected by bringingsteam in contact with water caused by flow over spaced baflie plates,the directions of fiow of the steam and water being generally opposite,and it has for its object to provide improved appa ratus of thischaracter which shall be highly effective in operation and susceptibleof economical manufacture.

In accordance with our invention, we provide a vertical shell having anair outlet and a water inlet at the top and a water outlet and a steaminlet at the bottom. Water passes downwardly from the inlet over baffleplates having staggered radial portions and contacts with upwardlyflowing steam to condense the latter. The baflie plates are constructedand arranged to provide for complete bailiing or interception of mediaflowing in opposite directions without interposing undue resistance;and, to this end, the bafile plates have outwardly-diverging radialportions of an upper plate being disposed over the spaces of a lowerplate.

The bafie structure is comprised by a plurality of plates cut fromsuitable metallic plate material and spaced in horizontal relationinteriorly of the shell. Means is preferably arranged interiorly of theupper portion of she shell and coopcrating with the water inlet toprovide a chamber from which water overflows, the overflowing waterbeing intercepted by the uppermost bafile plate. Media must pass throughthe sheet of overflowing water before going to the air outlet. Waterintercepted by the top plate spreads over the latter and drops in sheetformation to the plate immediately belgr and so on from plate to plate,steam and non-co'ndensable media passing through the rain sheets inmoving upwardly from below each plate to the space thereabove.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparentfrom the following description and claims taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of our improved condenser; and

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views along the lines III-11, m-m, andIV-IV, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, we show a shell it having an airoutlet H and a water inlet H. at the top portion and a water outlet 53and a steam inlet i l at the bottom portion thereof. A baflle structure,at l5, facilitates contact of downwardly moving water and upwardlymoving steam to promote condensation of the latter.

The battle structure embodies spaced horizontal plates l6, H and [8supported interiorly of the shell, the plates having radial portions 19,20 and 2|, respectively, and intervening spaces Illa, 20a and Zia, theradial portions of each upper plate being disposed above the interveningspaces of the plate immediately below.

The sides of the radial portions I9, 20, and 2| are preferably alongradial lines. The arcuate extent of the radial portions of each plate Itare preferably approximately'equal to the arcuate extent of the spacestherebetween.

The baflie structure, at i5, is made up of first and second sets ofplates, the first set consisting of the top plate l6 and plates I8 andthe second set consisting of plates ll alternately arranged with respectto the plates of the first set. While the sets of plates may besupported interiorly of the shell in various ways, we prefer to supportthem by suspension rods. To this end, the plates it and it are carriedby suspension rods 23, the rods extending through openings 2d providedin the radial portions l9 and 2 i, the lowermost plate resting on bottomheads or nuts 25 of the rods, the plates being held in spaced relationby sleeves or ferrules 26 of larger diameter than the open ings and theupper ends of the rods being suspended from the shell by means includingtop or upper nuts 27. By tightening the nuts 25 and 21!, not only willthe plates be supported properly, but a rigid baffle structure will beprovided. In like manner, the plates i! of the second set are supportedby rods 29. As the radial portions of the plates of the first set alinewith the spaces of the second set plates and as the second set radialportions aline with the first set spaces, the suspension rods 24 of thefirst set are disposed in the arcuate spaces of the second set and thesecond set rods 29 are disposed in the first set arcuate spaces.

A structure, at 30, cooperates with the shell 60 to provide a chamberfor the water inlet 12, the structure preferably comprising an annularbottom portion at welded outwardly to the interior of the shell andinwardly to a tubular Wall 32, the wall 32 preferably extending abovethe inlet to seal the latter and defining an opening 33 for the downwardpassage of water overflowing from the channel 34. It will be apparentthat the water will tend to flow downwardly in an annular sheet adheringto the tubular wall and that air and non-condensable gases will fiowupwardly through the core space of the sheet to y the air outlet. Theannular bottom portion 3| also preferably comprises the suspension meansfor the upper ends of the rods 24 and 29. The top bafile plate l6 has anuninterrupted portion 35 which intercepts the water passing through theopening 33, thereby providing an annular sheet through which media mustpass to 'enter the core space, the water then falling in sheets fromplate to plate and upwardly moving media having to pass throughthesheets in passing from space to space between plates.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have devised a condenserutilizing the counterfiow principle so as to secure efficient actionwith highly effective cooling of air and non-condensable gases, minimumtemperature of the air and non-condensable gases being assured due tothe fact that the latter contacts with cooler. and cooler water and withthe incoming water before leaving the shell. As the spaces of each lowerplate are covered by radial portions of an upper plate, thoroughbaffling with minimum flow resistance and fiow of medium through rainsheets are assured.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications, without departing from the spiritthereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specificallyset forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:--

1. In a condenser, a vertical shell having an air outlet and a waterinlet at the upper portion thereof and a water outlet and a steam inletat the lower portion thereof; and'a bafiie structure disposed betweenthe water and steam inlets, said baflle structure including a first setof horizontal baiile plates alternately arranged with respect to asecond set of horizontal baffle plates, each baille plate having radialportions with intervening spaces and the radial portions of each setbeing alined with the spaces of the other set, first set suspension rodsconnected to the radial portions of the plates of the first set andarranged in the spaces of the plates of the second set, second setsuspension rods connected to the radial portions of the plates of thesecond set and arranged in the spaces of the plates of the first set,and means providing for the support of the upper ends of said suspensionrods from the shell.

2. In a condenser, a vertical shell having an air outlet and a waterinlet at the upper portion thereof and a water outlet and a steam inletat the lower portion thereof; means including an innerupwardly-extending cylindrical wall cooperating with said shell todefine a channel communicating with said inlet and the wall defining anopening downwardly through which passes water overflowing the upper edgeof the wall from said channel; and a baiiie structure disposed betweenthe channel and the steam inlet and including a plurality of horizontalplates having staggered radial portions and suspension rods connected tothe plates for supporting and maintaining the latter in spaced relation,the upper ends of said suspension rods being supported from the channelbottom.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the channel is formedby an annular plate having its exterior edge welded to the interior ofthe shell and having its interior edge welded to the cylindrical wall.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the top 'baflle plateis arranged to intercept the rain sheet falling from the opening definedby the cylindrical wall and wherein rain sheets dropping from sides ofradial portions of each upper plate are intercepted by radial portionsof a plate below, whereby steam and noncondensable gases moving upwardlypass through sheets in going from the space below a plate to the spacethereabove and finally through the sheet dropping from the cylindricalwall before reaching the air outlet to condense steam and cool air.

5. In heat exchange apparatus, a vertical shell having a liquid inlet atthe upper portion thereof, a liquid outlet at the lower portion thereof,and an inlet for gaseous fluid; and a battle structure disposed betweenthe liquid inlet and outlet, said baflle structure including a first setof horizontal baille plates alternately arranged with respect to asecond set of horizontal baflle plates, the baille plates of the firstset having open spaces for the passage of fluid and the baille plates ofthe second set having spaces disposed out of registry with the spaces ofthe first set, first 'set suspension rods connected to the plates of thefirst set and arranged in the spaces of the plates of the second set,second set suspension rods connected to the plates of the second set andarranged in the spaces of the plates of the first set, and meansproviding forthe support of the upper ends of said suspension rods fromthe shell.

6. In heat exchange apparatus, a vertical shell having a liquid inlet atthe upper portion thereof, a liquid outlet at the lower portion thereof,and an inlet for gaseous fluid; and a bafile structure disposed betweenthe liquid inlet and outlet, said baflle structure including a first setof horizontal baiile plates alternately arranged with respect to asecond set of horizontal baflle plates, each baille plate having radialportions with intervening spaces and the radial portions of each setbeing alined with the spaces of the other set, first set suspension rodsconnected to the radial portions of the plates of the first set andarranged in the spaces of the plates of the second set, second setsuspension rods connected to the radial portions of the plates of thesecond set and arranged in the spaces of the plates of the first set,and means providing for the support of the upper ends of said'suspensionrods from the shell.

JOHN A. POTTER. JOHN P. RATHIBUN.

